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August 1, 2025
Welcome back to the 2025–2026 season! To confirm your continued participation in PASD and renew your eligibility, please complete the Required Annual Membership Form as soon as possible. Thanks to last year’s incredible student participation—including exceptional student leadership to host three tournaments at Paly (John Lewis SVUDL; CFL Novice; CHSSA State Qualifiers) and our biggest-ever weeks of Palo Alto Speech & Debate Camp—our program has, for the first time, earned a spot in the prestigious NSDA 600 Club. Our program is now ranked 3rd in California and 24th nationally out of 3,000+ high schools. This milestone reflects more than just competitive success: it underscores your dedication to year-round practice, your exceptional service and volunteerism, and our steadily growing membership. While we’re sad to say goodbye to 7 members of our coaching staff—most of whom joined when I first started three years ago—we’re also thrilled to welcome at least 5 new coaches. As our outgoing Assistant Director, YuYu Yuan, so beautifully put it: “this community only exists because of your commitment to this activity and to each other.” It’s up to you, the students, to keep leading the way through this transition. Even with all this change, much will remain familiar...
Program Leadership Kyle Hietala returns for his fourth year as the Program Director and Head Coach of Palo Alto High School Speech & Debate, as well as Executive Director of Palo Alto Speech & Debate Camp. Additionally, Kyle will mentor and support all Team Officers this season. Erin Ritchie returns for her second year as Assistant Program Director. In her role, Erin will apply her skills as a trained classroom teacher to lead our incoming novice cohort, and strengthen curriculum and instruction across the program. Additionally, Erin will mentor and support all Team Captains this season. Noelle Yoo ‘26 steps up as our new Student Deputy Director. Known for her extraordinary enthusiasm for all things speech & debate, Noelle will empower our Team Officers and Team Captains to help our program continue to thrive, focusing especially on strengthening our connections with PALY. Esther Yoo returns as our Parent Director & Boosters Board President, and our Boosters Board also includes David Liu, Jennifer Glos, Anand Shah, and Kurt Berney. Stephanie Bradley will organize family dinners for practices. Coaching Staff Our full coaching staff will be shared later this month once we’ve finalized hiring and onboarding. The following coaches are moving on from PASD, and we’re grateful for their positive impact on our program!
Beginning in mid-August, novices will be recruited to join a structured cohort, which will practice separately from our six squads for the beginning of the season. Novices will progress through a series of practices into late September co-taught by Kyle, Erin, and a few other coaches. As part of this cohort program, each squad’s captains & coaches will have the opportunity to support practices, and then host an in-person Novice Night to conclude the cohort. Novices will go through a matchmaking process to graduate from their cohort and join squads based on their goals and interests. Any student interested in joining should complete the interest form at www.palysd.com/join. Practice Attendance Practice schedules with complete details will be shared soon for students and families. Beginning the fourth week of practice (September 8 & 9), students will be responsible for checking/signing in to confirm their attendance. Tracking accurate attendance will help us to order enough food for family dinners; allocate coaching resources more efficiently; and ensure greater fairness in application processes in which attendance is given significant weight. Tournament Participation The most obvious reason for having regular speech & debate practices led by specialized coaches is to prepare students to compete at tournaments. Therefore, we expect all students (except first-semester novices) to attend at least 1 local CFL tournament and 1 regional or online invitational each semester. Students self-register for tournaments and arrange their own judging coverage. Our calendar is already filled with 20+ tournament opportunities for the upcoming season. Travel Tournaments This season, under Captains Isabella Bian and Xander Yap, our program is introducing a new travel tournament approach to better align experiences with student expectations. Instead of first-come, first-serve sign-ups, students will commit in the fall to a season-long slate of tournaments based on their goals and coach guidance. Some tournaments will focus on competitive success and bid collection, while others will highlight cultural exploration and personal growth. A full calendar and next steps for interested students will be shared soon. Awards Wall & Swap Shop Beginning the second week of school/our first week of practice, Room P-6 will be open every Monday and Tuesday from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This space is a relaxed hangout for students, stocked with snacks, games, and private rooms available for practice or studying. We’ve also added…
The Palo Alto Speech & Debate Camp will be student-led once again in 2026, with Ean Hsiung ‘27 and Tessa Berney ‘27 serving as Co-Directors. PASDC is tentatively scheduled for June 8-12 & June 22-26, 2026, with the NSDA National Tournament the week in between. Assistant Directors will be named by mid-September, and counselor applications will open after Thanksgiving. Accessibility My primary focus as Program Director will always be the well-being of our students and their academic, civic, and interpersonal growth. As a public school program, we strive to welcome all students who are committed to being kind, respectful contributors to a community which values intellectual inquiry and competitive integrity. There are no tryouts and there is no application to participate, and students will never be cut from the program due to a lack of academic skill or a deficit of knowledge. Additionally, all students are always welcome to meet 1-1 with a Director (Kyle or Erin) in addition to their squad coaches for guidance, mentorship, and personalized instruction. Students who require accommodations, modifications, or other forms of extra support for behavioral, developmental, educational, financial, medical, physical or other reasons should meet with a Director to discuss their individual situation. Accountability Our program’s ability to make meaningful investments in students—through coaching, resources, and opportunities—is made possible by being a high-functioning, high-performing organization with a strong, collaborative culture. In turn, we ask a lot from everyone involved: our students, their families, our coaching staff, and our schools. Most expectations and policies are outlined in our Membership Guide (our version of a team handbook). Students who remain in good standing are eligible to receive coaching, attend all local and regional tournaments free of charge, and access a range of leadership opportunities, including serving as Team Officers or Captains, directing summer camp, and leading special projects. |
